Trench rollers



J. F. HARRISON TRENCH ROLLERS June 19, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 17. 1950 4 INVENTOR June 19, 1956 J. F. HARRISON 2,750,751

TRENCH ROLLERS Filed April 17. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 El) N alum INVENTOR ATTORNEY3 June 19, 1956 HARRISON 2,750,751

I TRENCH ROLLERS Filed April 17, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR T zmvinwism I I 45 1 BY m ATTORNEYS June 19, 1956 .J. F. HARRISON TRENCH ROLLERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 17 1950 INVENTOR I WW TTORNEYS United States Patent TRENCH ROLLERS John F. Harrison, Springfield, Ohio, assignor to The Buffalo-Springfield Roller 00., Springfield, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 17, 1950, Serial No. 156,465

3 Claims. (Cl. 61--63) This invention is a novel improvement in trench rollers, the same being an improvement upon the trench rollers disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,902,412 dated March 21, 1933; Patent No. 2,240,236 dated April 29, 1941; also Patent No. 2,197,395 dated April 16, 1940.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a trench roller in which the drive roll mounting permits the drive roll to operate in a trench having a depth greater than one-half the diameter of the drive roll.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a trench roller having at least one roll operating in a trench, the same including a frame, a drive roll adapted to travel in a ditch and an L-shaped bracket within the confines of the width of said roll carrying the roll axle, said bracket being connected to the frame at a point substantially above the roll axle; also to provide a trench roller in which the steering roll and drive roll, as above described, are both adapted to operate in the trench.

Other minor objects of the invention will be hereinafter set forth.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof, to enable others familiar with the art to adopt and use the same; and will summarize in the claims, the novel features of construction, and novel combinations of parts, for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my novel trench roller, showing the drive roll and steering roll operating in a trench.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial front elevation of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the machine, looking at the opposite side from that shown in Figure 1.

As shown, the trench roller comprises a horizontal frame which preferably consists of an elongated side member 1, and a member 2 of shorter length connected with the side member 1 by means of a front diagonal cross-beam 3 and diagonal rear-beam 4, one or more intermediate crossbeams 5 being provided to impart rigidity to the frame. Upon a portion of the frame 1-5 is a plate 6 for the purpose hereinafter described, the members 1--6 being secured together in any desired manner, to form a rigid unit.

At the front end of side member 1 is a bracket 7, carrying a vertical journal 8 for a king pin 9 of steering yoke 10 in which is journaled, as at 11, a steering roll 12, said steering wheel being disposed at a lower level than the side member 1 and being adapted to operate in trench T below the ground level L.

King pin 9 is provided with an arm 13 (Fig. 2) at its upper end, which is pivoted to a steering link 14 extending from a steering gear 15 controlled by a steering shaft 16 rotatable by a steering wheel 17, steering shaft 16 being mounted upon platform 6 in advance of an operators seat 18, also mounted on platform 6 preferably in rear of the steering wheel 17. The steering roll 12 may be adapted to operate in trench T at one side of the road or ground level L, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2

and 4.

At the rear end of side member 1 is a drive roll 20 which is journaled on a stub axle 21 carried by a bracket 22 (Fig. 5) connected with the outer side of the side member l, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, the vertical leg of bracket 22 lying within the overall width of the drive roll 20, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the roll 20 may operate in a trench T (Fig. 5) of greater depth than half the diameter of the drive roll, bracket 22 being rigidly mounted with respect to the side member 1.

At the opposite side of the frame from the rolls 12 and 20 is a leveling wheel 24, the axle of which is journaled in a bearing 25:: (Fig. 3) at the outer end of a vertically swingable lever 25, the opposite end of which is journaled as at 26 on the side member 2 of the frame in any desired manner, so that the arm 25 may be swung upwardly or downwardly to raise or lower the leveling roll 24, the movement of arm 25 being controlled as hereinafter explained.

' tank 32; the engine 30 and transmission 31 being preferably housed in a casing 33 of conventional design, said engine 30 also operating an oil pump 60 for the purpose hereinafter described.

As shown in Fig. 5, the final drive gear of transmission 31 is mounted upon a shaft 41, journaled in a transmission casing 43 disposed opposite the drive roll 20, and shaft 41 carries on its outer end a drive pinion 44, which is keyed to the outer end of shaft 41 and meshes with a drive gear 45 which is mounted, as shown in Fig. 5, on the web 20a of drive roll 20, whereby the shaft 41 of the transmission 31 will drive the drive roll 20.

It will be noted that the upper end of bracket 22 whose lower end extends downwardly within the confines of the side edges of drive roll 20, is positioned far above the drive roll axle 21. Since the vertical leg of bracket 22 lies within the confines of the drive roll 20, exceptional ground clearance is achieved, permitting the drive roll 20 to operate in a trench of greater depth than one-half the diameter of said roll, a feature not heretofore contemplated in trench rollers.

As previously stated, the leveling ground wheel 24 is carried by a vertically swingable lever 25 mounted on a shaft on the roller frame. A double-acting cylinder 50 adjusts the position of the swinging lever 25, the piston 50 having a piston rod 51 which is pivotally connected to a lever 52 mounted fixedly upon the shaft of the swinging lever 25, so that as the piston is shifted to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 6 the lever 52 will assume the dotted line position indicated in Fig. 6, in which position the lever 25 will be lowered into substantially vertical position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6. When, however, the piston rodis retracted into the full-line position shown in Fig. 6, the lever 25 will be raised into substantially horizontal position, indicated in full lines in Fig. 6.

Oil under pressure from the hydraulic pump 60 (Fig. 2) mounted on and driven by the engine 30, is directed to and from hydraulic cylinder 50 by a conventional distributing control valve 61 located adjacent the operators seat 18.

An inspection of Fig. 6 will show that the arc of travel of the elevating wheel 24 intersects the vertical plane X through the longitudinal axis of the axle 21 of the drive roll 20. The limits of travel are indicated by the reference characters Y and Z, the arc length being Y-Z.

The position Z is forward of the vertical center line X, while position Y is in rear of the vertical center line X. Perfect steering geometry would require the wheel 24 to be always in the vertical line X, but I have purposely located the arc Y-Z in the relationship shown to the center line X so that wheel 24 has the extreme positions Y and Z on opposite sides of the center line X. passing through the optimum line position X in the range of adjustment.

I do not limit my invention to the exact form shown in the drawing for obviously changes may be made therein within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. ha trench roller, a frame; a steering roll bracketed to the front of the frame; means on the frame for operating the steering roll; a relatively large drive roll at one side of the frame; a bracket carrying an axle on which the drive roll is journaled, said bracket extending outwardly from the side of the frame and extending within the overall width of the drive roll, with its outer end extending downwardly within the overall width of the drive roll, said axle extending outwardly from the lower end of the bracket, whereby the drive roll may operate in a trench of greater depth than half the diameter of the drive roll while the frame is maintained substantially parallel with the roadway adjacent the trench; means including a prime mover on the frame for driving the drive roll; a ground wheel of smaller diameter than the drive roll adjustably supporting the other side of the frame; and means for adjusting said wheel.

2. In a trench roller, a frame; a steering roll bracketed to and disposed below the front end of the frame at one side thereof; means for operating the steering roll; a relatively large drive roll in substantial alignment with the steering roll; a bracket carrying a stub axle on which the drive roll is journaled, said bracket extending outwardly from the side of the frame and extending within the overall width of the drive roll with its outer end extending downwardly within the overall width of the drive roll, said stub axle extending outwardly from the lower end of the bracket','whereby the drive roll may operate in a trench of greater depth than half the diameter of the drive roll while the frame is maintained substantially parallel with the roadway adjacent the trench; means including a prime mover on the frame for driving the drive roll; a ground wheel of smaller diameter than the drive roll adjustably supporting the other side of the frame; and means for adjusting said wheel.

3. In a trench roller, 2. frame having an elongated side member, and a shortside member; cross-beams connecting said side members, a platform on said frame; a steering roll. bracketed to and disposed below the front end of the elongated side member; means on the platform for operating the steering roll; a relatively large drive roll in substantial alignment with the steering roll; a bracket carrying a stub axle on which the drive roll is journaled, said bracket extending outwardly from the elongated side member adjacent and within the overall width of the drive roll with its outer end extending downwardly within the overall width of the drive roll, said stub axle extending outwardly from the lower end of the bracket, whereby the drive roll may operate in a trench of greater depth than half the diameter of the drive roll while the frame is maintained substantially parallel with the roadway adjacent the trench; means including a prime mover on the frame for driving the drive roll; a ground wheel of smaller diameter than the drive roll adjustably supporting the short side member of the frame; and means for adjusting said wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,293,999 Wake Feb. 11, 1919 1,636,620 Berry July 19, 1927 1,906,547 Dauer et al May 2, 1933 2,029,659 Greiner Feb. 4, 1936 2,197,395 Keller Apr. 16, 1940 2,240,236 Aitken Apr. 29, 1941 2,386,025 Wills Oct. 2, 1945 

